Chemical industry at forefront of emerging green economy – CIA

19 June 2012 11:23[Source: ICIS news]

LONDON (ICIS)--The chemical industry has been at the forefront of the emerging green economy and without chemical businesses a green society cannot happen, the Chemical Industries Association (CIA) said on Tuesday.

Steve Elliott, chief executive of UK association CIA, said he hopes the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development (?xml:namespace>Rio+20), being held on 20-22 June in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, will show how the chemical industry and its stakeholders can work together to deliver economic, social and environmental progress.

At the event, the International Council of Chemical Associations (ICCA) is showcasing the chemical industry’s contributions to sustainable development and the green economy at a panel discussion.

“Since the first Earth Summit in 1992, the chemical industry has played an essential and integrated role in delivering solutions that enable inclusive and greener economies,” said ICCA president Andrew Liveris, chairman and CEO of the Dow Chemical Company.

Twenty years later, the chemical industry is a proactive participant at Rio+20, highlighting innovations, technologies and processes that are applied around the world, every day, delivering on the promise of sustainability and made possible only through the application of chemistry, he added.

The CEO of Brazilian chemical company Braskem, Carlos Fadigas, who is also participating in the ICCA panel, said resource efficiency is crucial to enhance sustainable use of scarce resources.

“We must focus on sustainable consumption as well as sustainable production, with a commitment to producing goods and services efficiently and consuming them differently. In order to achieve that, it is crucial that each company puts sustainability as a core driver of its business strategy. More and more chemical companies are doing that,” he added.

The ICCA panel, which features industry leaders, as well as key stakeholders from government and labour organisations, will highlight the role of the chemical industry in enabling society to meet pressing global needs.

These needs include ensuring a safe and plentiful food supply, providing clean drinking water around the world, protecting public health through medical breakthroughs, transforming the way energy is used and reducing greenhouse gas emissions for a cleaner environment.